Boiler-flue cleaner.



A. R. URIE L F. P. UHRIG.

BOILER FLUE CLEANER. APPLICATION FILED IIIIY I3, IsIs.

Patented Apr. 25, 191.6.

WIIIIII I@ III f SUL ARCHIE RAYMOND URIE AND FIWIWINVI UFFIDM.

BOILER-FLUE CLEANER. Y

LIBUHBU.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 25, 1916.

Application filed May 13. 1915. Serial No. 27,848.

T o all Iwhom t may concern Be it known that we, RCIUE RAYMOND Unir. and FREDERICK PHILIP UHRIG, both citizens of the United States, and residents of La Center. in the county of Clarke and State of Ilrasliington, have invented a new and Improved Boiler Flue Cleaner. of which the following is a full, clear, and eX act description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved boiler flue cleaner which is simple and durable in construction, easily manipulated and arranged to insure complete removal of accumulated scale from a flue by injecting a mixture of steam, sand and air into the iue to be cleaned.

In order to accomplish the desired result use is made of an apparatus for forcing a mixture of steam. air and sand through a flue to clean the same, the apparatus including a steam injector connected with a source of steam supply and a sand and air suction device connected with the said injector and with a sand supply and with the atmosphere to cause sand and air to be drawn by the action of the stealn into the said injector to be forced by the steam into and through the fine or pipe to be cleaned. A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding partsV in all the views.

Figurel is a perspective view of the boiler flue cleaner as applied; Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional side elevation of the boiler flue cleaner; Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the same on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. il is a sectional plan view of the sand and air suction device, the section being on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 is a side elevation of part of the boiler flue cleaner provided with a discharge pipe having an upward bend for cleaning vertical lues.

The casing A. of an injector is provided with a chamber B having a forwardly eX- tending outlet C leading into a pipe D screwed or otherwise attached to the forward end of the casing A. The terminal` of the pipe D is adapted to pass into the flue or pipe E to be cleaned, as plainly indicated in Fig. 1. The chamber B is provided with an inlet F, preferably located at the bottom, and to the inlet F is coupled a coupling G held at one end of a hose or flexible tube I-I connected with a steam boiler or other suitable source of fluid pressure supply. A noz zle I extends centrally through the back of the casing A and through the chamber B into the outlet (l. the terminal of the nozzle I being concentric with the outlet C. The outer end of the nozzle I is preferably bent downward and is provided with a short pipe ,I to which is coupled a coupling K held on one end of a hose or a flexible tube L connected at its other end by a coupling K with the outlet N of a sand and air suction device N.

The sand and suction device N is preferably made in the form of a pipe bent into U shape to provide -the outlet N, the air inlet N2 and a bend N3, the bottom N4 of which is adapted to rest on the bottom of a pail O filled with sand or other similar material I. The bend N3 is provided at one or both sides with a slot' N through which the sand P in the pail O can pass into the suction device N at the bend N3. The air inlet N2 is provided with a valve Q-under the control of the operator for regulating the amount of air passing into the air inlet N2. As shown, the valve Q 's in the form of a sleeve fitting exteriorly on the air inlet N2 and closed at its upper end, and the valve Q is provided at its side with an opening Q adapted to register more or less with an opening N(j formed in the wall of the air inlet N2. The top of the base N* is preferably flat and is iush with the bottom of the sand inlet N5 to allow the sand to pass readily over the top of the base N4 into and through the sand inlet N5. The outlet N is slightly contracted from the bottom upward to insure a proper flow of the sand and air when the boiler flue cleaner is in use. The back of the nozzle I is provided with a. suitable handle R adapted to be taken hold of by the operator for conveniently manipulating the boiler flue cleaner. For cleaning vertical flues the pipe D is provided with an upward bend D', as

shown in Fig. 5.

The operation is as follows: When the several parts are in the position shown in the drawings and steam or other Huid pressure is allowed to flow through the hose H into the chamber B and thro-ugh the outlet C then a suction is produced in the nozzle I and the suction device N to cause the sand P to pass from the pail O through the opening N5 into the bend N3 and to cause air to' pass through the registering openings Q and NG into the air inlet N 2. The suction produced causes the sand and air to pass through the outlet N into the hose L and by way of the pipe J into the nozzle I and out of the same into the outlet C to mix therein with the steam or other fluid, which latter by its impelling -force forces the mixture through the pipe D into the iiueE to be cleaned. It will be noticed that the steam in the mixture tends to soften the scale which has accumulated in the flue or pipe E and the sand blast readily dislodges the scale so that the latter is quickly dislodged and forced out of the flue or pipe E. It will further be noticed that-.by the operator having hold of the handle R the pipe D can be readily placed into the end of any one of the lues or tubes E to be cleaned and it takes ut a comparatively short time to eectively clean the Hue or pipe of the accumulated scale.

It is understood that the sand P in the pail O is comparatively dry to enable the air entering the inlet N2 to carry the sand along and to allow the sand to readily flow from the pail through the opening N5 into the bend N3 to be taken along by the air.

The boiler scribed is very simple and durable in construction and composed of very few parts not liable to get out of order, and it does not require the employment of skilled labor for manipulating the boiler Hue cleaner.

, aving thus described our invention, We claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A boiler flue cleaner, jector having an annular chamber provlded with a steam inlet and with an outlet at right angles thereto, the inlet being adapted to connect with a. steam supply, a discharge pipe connected withl the said outlet and adapted to engage the flue to be cleaned, a nozzle extending centrally through the said comprising an influe cleaner sho-wn and dechamber and having its terminal concentric within the said outlet, a sand and air suction device in the form of an upstanding U- shaped pipe having a sand inlet at the bend and a valved air inlet at one upper end, and a flexible connection betweenthe said nozzle and the other end of the said U-shaped pipe.

2. A boiler fiue cleaner provided with a sand and air suction device of approximately U-shape forming upstanding side members connected with each other at their lower ends by a bend, the latter having an elongated sand inlet extending partly across each member. one of the said members having an air inlet adjacent its upper end and a sleeve valve controlling the same, and the other side member having a contracted portion forming an outlet for the sand and air, and suction means connected with the said outlet for drawing a mixture of sand and air into and through the suction device.

A boiler flue cleaner provided with a sand and air suction device of approximately U shape comprising upstanding members connected at their lower ends by a bend having a projecting base, one of said members having an air opening adjacent its free end and the other member having a. contracted portion, an elongated sand inlet disposed in the bend connecting the members, said inlet lying iush with the upper surface of the projecting base, the contracted member forming an outlet for sand and air, and fluid suction means connected with the said outlet for drawing sand and airin and through the suction device.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ARCHIE RAYMOND URIE. FREDERICK PHILIP UHRIG.

vWitnesses W. A. MANSFIELD, C. A. BUTTON. 

